Tuesday, September 02, 2008

One Storm that Isn't Blowing Over

Republicans hoped the storm would all blow over, meaning the storm over the botched pick of Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate. But it doesn't look like it will anytime soon.When faced with unwelcome news, there's the time honored tactic of releasing it when folks aren't paying attention, which is what the New York Times reports that the McCain campaign was trying to do:

“We are going to flush the toilet,” said Tucker Eskew, who is a senior adviser to Ms. Palin, describing the campaign’s plans for Labor Day, when much of the nation was busy with family and social activities.The trouble is a pregnant teenager is the kind of story that is irresistible even when families are disinclined to talk about Georgia or energy policy. A daughter's pregnancy is hardly a threat to the republic, but it has added to the growing story of a botched roll out of McCain's running mate.

Officials of the Alaskan Independence Party say that Palin was once so independent, she was once a member of their party, which, since the 1970s, has been pushing for a legal vote for Alaskans to decide whether or not residents of the 49th state can secede from the United States.And while McCain's motto -- as seen in a new TV ad -- is "Country First," the AIP's motto is the exact opposite -- "Alaska First -- Alaska Always."Lynette Clark, the chairman of the AIP, tells ABC News that Palin and her husband Todd were members in 1994, even attending the 1994 statewide convention in Wasilla. Clark was AIP secretary at the time.

ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 1 -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin employed a lobbying firm to secure almost $27 million in federal earmarks for a town of 6,700 residents while she was its mayor, according to an analysis by an independent government watchdog group.

As far as I know, Wilmington, Delaware's largest city (where I used to work) has never hired a Washington lobbyist. Wasilla is smaller than one of Wilmington's council districts. I'm trying to imagine how one might spend $27 million in my council district.But doesn't McCain's have an advantage on national security? We could ask an experienced GOP hand like David Frum:

Ms. Palin's experience in government makes Barack Obama look like George C. Marshall.

"I know people worry about Biden-style talk, but the truth is, I simply don't know. I take her on face value. She's a governor, that's no mean feat, and she seems to have a strong personal story."Biden said that, based on what he knows, "There is no reason not to respect her and believe she's qualified to be vice president." "I have a simple proposition, children are off limits," he said, getting loud applause from the audience as he repeated a rule Obama issued yesterday.

5 Comments:

Anonymous said...

Are you kidding me? Biden said there's no reason not to think she's qualified to be VP? On the basis of that comment, Biden nullified 3 months of argument against McCain. What was Joe thinking? Score a big one against Obama for a running mate that just screwed him over. I need a headache pill.

As far as I can tell (I'm from Alaska and a Republican), few conservatives seem to care about the "hubbub" going on. Coming from a born-again Christian background, I am happy with Palin's nomination--as are many conservative Christians. If the liberals aren't worried about her, why are they screaming so loudly?

Her speech was good. She is as effective of a speaker to her base, as are either Michelle, Biden, or Obama speaking to theirs..

The only candidate who seems unable to move mountains with his voice, is McCain.

However, again tonight and I saw the audience cringe, she repeated her line on national television, that she had said "no" to the funding of the "Bridge To Nowhere." In truth, she didn't get the opportunity. Federal Funding for the project (which she endorsed) was pulled, therby sucking additional state money out of the state's coffers.

That's the line you go for...

The frame you tack the argument on, is that the pretty picture she always paints... is not always true...